Safety feeding device for wringers



Feb. 4, H' MOR|N SAFETY FEEDING DEVICE FOR WRINGERS Filed July 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I HENRY [..MoR/N BY f ATTORNEYS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 4, 1936. H. MORIN SAFETY FEEDING DEVICE FOR WRINGERS Filed July 17, 1951 M 7 M l, m M m M a VM. m ,f 1 a 7 m T .y f77 1 L A 4 fml. 5 Il d V1 7 .NA w 5 F. a ou mmv. .11% 3 5.1.. lvl V.. B n W Eil@ Patented Feb. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE 13 Claims.

` This invention relates to means for safely feeding clothes to or from a power-driven wringer.

It has for its principal object the provision of improvements in the feeding mechanism and safety devices and in the mechanism which coordinates the two with each other and with the wringing mechanism.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be more specifically pointed out in the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a wringer provided with a feeding device according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view looking from the right of Fig. 1, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation, partly in section and on a larger scale, of the switch support;

Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is' a section substantially on line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional View showing the preferred manner in which the driving sprocket is secured to the wringer roll;

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a side view showing a modied con-v struction using a single switch; and

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings, the metal frame which supports the wringer rolls I and 2 is shown generally at 3. This frame may be of conventional construction and is provided with brackets 4 (see Fig. 2) by which itis secured to the post of the washing machine (not shown) through which the wringer is driven in the usual manner. The usual drain boards are shown at 5.

To feed the clothes to or from the wringer rolls, I provide belts 1, one on each side of the bite of the wringer rolls. The parts on each side of the wringer are alike except that they are reversed in position and the same `reference characters are used to designate thesimilar parts. Belts 1 are supported by pulleys 9 vand I0 journaled in side members II having flanges. I2 by which they are secured as by bolts I3 to the wringer frame. The bearings I4 of pulleys 9 are loose and are urged outwardly as shown in Fig. 3 to maintain the belts taut by springs I5 positioned between the bearingsl4 and iianges I6 bolted to the side members. The belts are preferably of rubber and afr'evprovided on their outer surfaces with transfverse corrugations I8 for a purpose later described. 'I'he pulleys 9 and Ii! are provided intermediate their ends with grooves I9 adapted to receive a longitudinal rib 2|] formed on the under surface of the belts. The ribs 20 cooperate with the grooves I9 to keep the belts properly centered 5 on the pulleys and obviate the necessity of using flanged pulleys or other exposed guiding means upon which the clothes may catch as they are fed to thewringer rolls. The pulleys I0 which are positioned closely adjacent the wringer rolls 10A are provided on their ends opposite brackets 4 with sprockets 22 which are connected by a sprocket chain 23. The chain 23 meshes with a sprocket 25 secured to the shaft of wringer roll 2 whereby both belts are driven in unison from 15 the wringer roll. A plurality of small rolls 24 journaled in the side of the wringer frame maintain'y the sprocket chain in driving relation with the sprocket 25.

In order that roll 2 may be removed, sprocket 20 25 is made removable, and to accomplish this I mount sprocket 25 on one end 26 of a hollow stub shaft. End 26 is hexagonal (as shown in Fig. '1) to prevent the sprocket turning on the stub shaft. End 21 of the stub shaft, which is round and split 26 as at 28, fits into a recess 29 formed in the end of shaft 30 of the wringer roll. A bolt 3I having an enlarged end 32 is positioned within the stub shaft and is provided on its outer end with a nut 33, a washer 34 being positioned between the 80 nut and the end of the stub shaft. As will be clear from Fig. 7, tightening of nut 33 causes the enlarged end 32 to expand the split end 21 of the stub shaft and bind the stub shaft to the shaft of the wringer roll. This manner of releasably 35 connecting the sprockets to the shaft of the wringer roll has the advantage that the latter need not be lengthened to accommodate the sprocket orl its connecting means, and the connection or disconnection of the sprocket is easily made. 40

Overlying each belt 1 is a guard plate 40 hinged or pivoted at 39 to uprights 4I secured to or formed integral with the side members I I. The free edges of plates 40 are bent downwardly and inwardly to form hollow wedge-shaped 'members 45 42 having outer faces 43 and inner faces 44, the inclination of the outer faces being steeper than that of the inner faces. The sides of. the guard plates are bent downwardly to form side anges 45. The wedge members 42 are provided with 50 weights 46 held in place by spring clips 41. The wedge-shaped members 42 ride on the belts and maintain the remaining portions of the plates spaced from the belt.A Aside from their function as part of the guard, which function is later more Cil fully described, the wedge members prepare the clothes for passage through the wringer rolls, particularly with respect to garments having buttons. The feeding motion is imparted to the clothes entirely by the belts l, the corrugations I8 serving to grip the clothes and draw them under the weighted wedge members which exert an ironing or smoothing action, pressing the buttons into the clothes instead of tending to turn them up as is the case where the guard is in the form of. a roll or an overlying belt. Furthermore, after passing the wedge members, the clothes pass undisturbed beneath the remaining portion of the guard plate to the wringer rolls. In practice it has been found that my device substantially eliminates the breakage of buttons in the wringer rolls.

In furtherance of the function of plates 40 as guards to prevent the hands of the operator from being caught in the wringer rolls, I provide means whereby the plates operate to shut oif the power from the wringer rolls when the plates are swung upwardly a predetermined distance. For this purpose, I mount pin-operated switches l] above the plates 4G in position so that switchoperating pins 5i are engaged by the upper surface of the plates to shut off the current, passing through the conductor 45 to the motor, when the plates are raised to an extent to admit of dangerous access to the bite of. the wringer rolls. The switches are mounted on arms 52, having their lower ends bent at right angles to form ears 53 which are pivotally secured by bolts 5d to similar ears 55 formed on members 56, which in turn are pivoted to the uprights M, at one side of the device, on the pivots 39 of the guard plates. Members 56 are normally held in alignment with uprights lli, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 6, by springs 57 positioned between ears 58 bent outwardly from the uprights il and ears 59 carried by members 56 which are offset at 60 to enclose the springs. Springs 51 permit members 56 and arms 52 to yield around pivots 39 if the guards d are forced upwardly beyond switch-operating position, preventing possible damage to the switches. Lugs 5i formed on the end of members 55 and bent around uprights lil prevent pivotal movement of member 56 in the opposite direction.

In some instances it may be desirable to raise the plates li, beyond the limit permitted by the switches, without stopping the wringer rolls. This may be donc by swinging arms 52 horizontally around pivots 51% (to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2) against the action of springs 62 engaged between arms 52 and pivot 54 as shown in Figs. 4 and Springs G2 return the switches to operative position when released by the operator, avoiding any danger that the switches may be inadvertently left in inoperative position.

It is sometimes desirable, as when heavy blankets are being passed throughihe wringer, to hold the guard plate on one or both sides of the wringer raised in a position just short of the point where the switch will be operated. To permit this, I provide props 55 pivoted at 66 to the side flanges i5 and normally resting against lugs 6T, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1. When it is desired to hold the guard in raised position, the props arc swung into engagement with lugs 68, formed on the uprights 4l (as shown in dotted lines in Fig. l).

It will be seen that the feeding device above described, in addition to the advantages previously pointed out, is flexible in operation, being adaptable to substantially all conditions to be met in the operation of the Wringer, provides protection to both sides of the bite of the wringer rolls in both directions of operation, and delivers the clothes beyond the drain board of the wringer.

In Figs. 9 and 10, I show a modified arrangement in which a single switch is provided in the motor cable with means to operate it by the movement of either of the guard plates. The arrangement and operation of the belts and guard plates may be the same as above described. In the arrangement shown I mount the single switch 10 to the side of the wringer frame I by means of a spring hinge 1|, the spring 'I2 normally holding the switch in the position shown in the drawings. A plunger I3 is mounted in a bracket 14 in alignment with the pin of the switch but normally held out of contact therewith by a spring 'H6 positioned between the bracket and a head 'Il formed on thelower end of, plunger I3. The head 'il rests against the ends of two curved levers 'I8 pivoted to the wringer frame at 19. The ends of the levers in engagement with the head 'il overlap and are held against the downward action of spring I6 by a stop pin 8U. The upper ends of levers 'I8 are normallyv engaged by the free ends of arms 8l pivoted at 82 to the upper surface of the guard plates 45 and held in position against lugs 83, carried by the side anges 45, by springs Sii. It will thus be seen that when either of the guard plates is raised a predetermined amount, the arm 8i carried by the raised guard will depress the contacting lever 13 to raise plunger i3 and operate the switch. When it is desired to raise one of the guard plates beyond the safety position without stopping the wringer, the operator may manually swing the arm 8l horizontally out of contact with its lever T8, or the movement of both guard plates may be rendered inoperative to actuate the switch by swinging the switch upwardly about its hinge against the action of spring 12, thus moving pin l5 out of the path of plunger 13. In either case, the safety position is automatically reestablished by spring action. If desired, arms 8l may be rigidly secured to the guard plates and spring hinge 'li alone used to render the safety mechanism inoperative. Conversely, the switch may be rigidly mounted and the spring-actuated arms 8l used alone.

What I claim is:

1. A feeding device for a power-driven clothes .wringer which comprises a belt for feeding clothes to or from the wringer rolls, means to drive the belt, a pivotally mounted guard overlying the belt, the free edge of the guard being provided with a rigid, downwardly extending blunt edged, weighted smoothing member normally contacting with the belt and beneath which the clothes are drawn by the belt in their passage to the ,wringer rolls.

2. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises, a belt having a transversely Corrugated surface for feeding the clothes to or from the wringer rolls, means to drive the belt, a pivotally mounted guard overlying the belt, the free edge of the guard being provided with a rigid, weighted smoothing member normally contacting with the belt and beneath which the clothes are drawn by the belt in their passage to the wringer rolls, the remaining portion of the guard being spaced from the belt.

3. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises, a belt having a transversely corrugated surface for feeding the clothes to or from the wringer rolls, pulleys around which the belt passes, means for driving one ofthe pulleys, aligned grooves formed inthe surface of the pulleys, a rib formed on the underv clothes to or from the wringer rolls, means to` drive the belt, a guard plate overlying the belt and pivoted at one edge adjacent the wringer rolls, a wedge-shaped smoothing member formed on the free edge of the guard plate normally contacting with the belt and beneath which the clothes are drawn by the belt in their passage to the wringer rolls.

5. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises, a belt for feeding clothes into the bite of the wringer rolls, a belt for feeding clothes from the bite of the wringer rolls, a common means for simultaneously driving said belts from the wringer rolls and in the same direction, pivotally mounted guards respectively overlying each of said belts, the free edge of each of said guards being provided with a rigid, downwardly extending, blunt edged, `Jveighted smoothing member normally contacting with the belt and beneath which the clothes are drawn by the belts in the passage of the clothes to and from the wringer rolls.

6. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises, a belt for feeding clothes to or from the wringer rolls, means for driving the belt, a pivotally mounted guard plate overlying the belt, a smoothing member integrally formed on the free edge of the guard plate normally contacting with the belt and beneath which the clothes are drawn by the belt in their pas sage to the wringer rolls, and means carried by the guard plate to shut off the power to the wringer rolls when the guard plate is raised a predetermined distance from the belt.

7. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises, a belt for feeding clothes to or from the wringer rolls, means for driving the belt, a pivotally mounted guard plate overlying the belt, a switch controlling the operation of the wringer rolls, said switch being normally positioned to be actuated by contact with the guard plate when the latter is raised a predetermined distance from the belt to cut oif the power to the wringer rolls, a pivotal mounting for the switch permitting the switch to be manually swung from the path of movement of the guard plate, and a spring automatically returning the switch to normal position.

8. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises, a belt for feeding clothes into the bite of the wringer rolls, .a b'elt for feeding the clothes from the bite of the wringer rolls, means for simultaneously driving the belts in the same direction, pivotally mounted guard plates respectively overlying each of said belts, two switches, each controlling the operation of the wringer rolls, respectively mounted in the paths of upward movement of the guard plates and adapted to be actuated by contact with the associated guard plate when the latter is raised a predetermined distance from its belt, pivotal mountings for the switches permitting the switches to be manually swung from the paths of movement of the guard plates and springs automatically returning the switches to normal position.

9. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises, a belt for feeding clothes into the bite of the wringer rolls, a belt for feeding the clothes from the bite of the wringer rolls, means for simultaneously driving said belts in the same direction, pivotally mounted guard plates respectively overlying each of said belts, a single switch controlling the operation of the wringer rolls, means associated with each guard plate to actuate the switch,

when one of the guard plates is raised a predetermined'distance .above its belt, to cut off the power to the wringer rolls, manually operated means to render the upward movement of the guard plates ineffective to operate the switch,

and means to automatically return the parts to operative position upon the release of the manual restraint.

l0. A feeding device for power-operated clothes wringers which comprises, ,a belt for feeding clothes into the bite of the wringer rolls, a belt for feeding the clothes from the bite of the wringer rolls, pivotally mounted guard plates respectively overlying each of said belts, a single switch controlling the operation of the wringer rolls, and means operable to actuate the switch upon excessive upward movement of either of the guard plates.

il. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises a belt for feeding clothes to the bite of the wringer rolls, a belt for feeding clothes from the bite of the wringer rolls, pivotally mounted guard plates respectively overlying each of said belts, switch means operable, upon the elevation of either guard plate a predetermined distance. to shut off the power to the wringer rolls, and means carried by each guard plate to releasably hold the guard plate in a raised position just short of the elevation at which the switch means is operated.

l2. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises a belt for feeding clothes to the bite of the wringer rolls, a belt for feeding clothes from the bite of the wringer rolls, pivotally mounted guard plates respectively overlying each of said belts, smoothing members formed on the free edge of each of the guard plates and beneath which the clothes are drawn by the belts, switch means operable upon the elevation of either guard plate ya predetermined distance to shut off the power from the wringer rolls, and means carried by each guard plate to releasably hold the guard plate raised sufficiently to position the smoothing member out of operative contact with the clothes being carried by the belt but below the elevation at which the switch means is operated.

13. A feeding device for power-driven clothes wringers which comprises a belt for feeding clothes to or from the wringer rolls, pulleys about which the belt passes, a sprocket secured to the shaft of one of the pulleys, a sprocket secured to a hollow stub shaft having a split end fitting in a recess formed in the end of theshaft of one of the wringer rolls, an expansion bolt mounted in the stub shaft to releasably expand the split end of the stub shaft to thereby clamp the latter to the shaft of 'the wringer roll and a sprocket chain passing around the sprockets.

HENRY L. MORIN. 

